A reader left this comment and please feel free to chime in if you can help her.
I am going to do Cranberry Christmas but on 28 count aida. The linens I’ve seen recommended are winter brew linen,123 stitch, and sand dune which you are using. May I have your suggestion on a color that would work.
Quilter44
I have only used linen since I started back to stitching so I really can’t offer much advice. But, I did pull out some colors that I would use besides the Sand Dune by Seraphim, which is what I used. I looked for 28 count aida to see if I could guess as to which of these colors might be comparable but I couldn’t find much in the 28 count aida fabric.
The fabric I used is Sand Dune by Seraphim and I have mine there for reference. All of these fabrics are 36 count linen. Different counts do sometimes dye up differently.
The fabric to the right of my piece is Shrekie’s Tan by Needle Bling Designs.
Then going left to right on the bottom row:
- Hogbristle by Fox & Rabbit
- Baked Clay by Fox & Rabbit (which looks darker next to all these tans but it isn’t as dark as it looks)
- Bees Knees by Seraphim
- Dead Sea Scroll by Seraphim
The fabric shown above is Winter Brew by R & R. It is more tan than it appears in the photo but . . this piece smelled strongly of coffee. While I had it out one day auditioning it for a project, I must have touched it with a damp hand and it left a spot. It was a tiny spot and I could have worked around it but I figured it must have a lot of dye or coffee left in it for that to have happened so I gave the whole piece a quick dip in a sink of cool water. Oh, my! It looked like I had poured a cup of coffee in the sink (and it was the bathroom sink!). The water smelled of coffee. I rolled the linen up in a towel and it then smelled of coffee. I left the fabric flat on a dry towel to dry and as I was pressing it, I could again smell coffee.
Beware . . there are several fabrics I have that smell like coffee and I’m wondering if they all need to be soaked.
While pressing this piece, because it was so wrinkled, I spritzed it with a little water and they left no water spots so just one quick dip in the sink must have removed enough of the excess coffee so I should have no problems with it.
I am not a coffee drinker. I don’t mind walking into a coffee shop and smelling coffee but do I want to work on a piece for months that smells so strongly of coffee? Not so sure about that.
Just from pressing the piece this morning, my hands still smell like coffee.
Somehow, I feel like I have not helped with Quilter44’s question but maybe some of you can.
DarW says
I can’t help with Quilter44’s question but… there’s 28 count AIDA?! I looked a couple places and am not seeing higher than 20…. Do you think she means 28 ct Evenweave / 28 ct Laguna? Are all these the same thing just called by 3 names?
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I have no idea because I haven’t stitched on anything but linen and Lugana and I’m just not familiar with all the different sizes.
justquiltin says
Aida only comes in up to 20 count; hardanger 22 count; so I’m thinking Quilter 44 is using some type of even weave if its 28 count. Quilter 44, is there a particular brand you prefer or is it just a color suggestion you are looking for. I think the only colors of even weave I have are way too light in color for that chart so don’t want to suggest a color I haven’t personally seen but I think the most important thing is to get a shade dark enough that the snow floss color will show up on it so there are many possibilities. I’m contemplating stitching that chart on a very pale green.
DarW says
Oh dang, I called it “laguna” like a tropical pool, hehehe…. I meant lugana…. 123stitch has some darker colors in the 28 count…. Justquiltin, have you stitched on evenweave that is not Aida? If so how does it compare? I am trying to learn…. Only familiar with Aida….. thanks…
justquiltin says
Well I don’t know that I can compare them because I have specific likes/dislikes that would cloud the issue. LOL But you can find a good article on the StitchedModern.com website. (No affiliation and I have never purchased from them but under the LEARN tab on their site they have lots of useful info and have an article on the 2nd page under the Learn tab called “How to pick fabric for cross stitch – Linen, evenweave, or Aida” which explains the differences quite well. hope that helps
DarW says
Thank you very much! I went and read it, it was very helpful! 😀
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Thanks, Denise!
Sherry Bobak says
I am doing the stitch along on 28 count evenweave called Monaco. I think it’s by Charles Craft. It’s my first time using anything but Aida. The holes are pretty small and I’m doing two over two. I started a little late and can’t stitch for long because my vision gets blurry after awhile, so I’m only on the first pumpkin. Learning the two over two hasn’t been too bad. Good luck, DarW, finding a fabric you like.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
It might help to count the threads instead of the holes. When I first started, I was counting holes but now, I kinda ignore the holes and count the threads.
quilter44 says
Thank you Judy for doing a post with my question. I appreciate the advice from everyone as I am just getting back to counted cross stitch. By showing the different shades of fabric, it has given me the direction I need.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Glad it helped. I wasn’t sure I would be any help.